Head coach Dave Doeren, redshirt senior quarterback Jacoby Brissett and senior defensive end Mike Rose discussed expectations and additions to the team during their media appearances at the ACC Football Kickoff July 20-21 at the Pinehurst Golf Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Doeren said with the type of season his team had in 2014, he fully expects the Pack to be contenders in the ACC in 2015.
“At the end of the season, we were playing very confident team football,” Doeren said. “Our guys believed they could beat anybody in the country. Now we’ve got to go out there and do it.”
One area of stability on the Wolfpack is under center, as the team will have its starting quarterback returning to Raleigh for the first time in Doeren’s tenure at State.
Brissett will look to follow up his breakout season with the Pack with an even stronger performance this year. Brissett said he has been working on not only his game, but his leadership in the offseason.
“I feel like in those hard times I need to step up and calm the storm better than I did last year,” Brissett said. “Everything else will take care of itself. If the players will understand the situation, they’ll make more plays, and I’ll make more plays.”
Behind him, redshirt freshman Jalan McClendon’s similar style of play will allow him to come off the bench without dropping a beat.
“If we feel like there’s an injury in a game, we don’t have to change what we do,” Doeren said. “We have another 6-foot-6 guy that can run and throw and is tough. It’s a great scenario to have on your team.”
Brissett’s weapons and protection will be in question, however, as many of the Pack’s starting wide receivers and offensive linemen left the program.
The Pack will be adding a strong stable of freshmen running backs joining veteran backs Shadrach Thornton and Matt Dayes, a core that Rose said is a challenge to battle in practice.
“I was surprised that Johnny Frasier was so fast,” Rose said. “I was surprised for a guy that’s 230. I didn’t think he was fast, just a big back. Nyheim Hines, that kid can fly. Reggie Gallaspy has a real chance to play. We probably have a back for every style we’re going to play.”
ACC COMMISSIONER SPEAKS
John Swofford, commissioner of the ACC, took questions from the media in an hour-long session the morning of July 20.
Swofford announced a new position of medical observer — a team-appointed physician who will watch over players from the booth.
“This team-specific medical observer will have the benefit of knowing the medical history of the players because it will be somebody who is involved with them on an ongoing and day-to-day basis,” Swofford said.
As the new position is an “experiment,” Swofford said the observer will not have the authority to stop the game but will be able to communicate with the coaches and make decisions about whether a player is fit to continue playing.
The commission also made comments in response to recent allegations of domestic violence from players within the conference, saying he will allow the schools to discipline their own players.
“While there’s strong belief about what should be done, there’s a concurrent belief it should remain the purview of the institution,” Swofford said. “They don’t see the necessity of putting in a conference rule regarding it at this point in time.”
Swofford also discussed the College Football Playoff, saying an expansion to eight teams would be unlikely in the near future. However, he said if it were not for outlying factors such as exams, eight teams would be a better option.
“In a perfect world, if you only want to talk about football, and only about a playoff, yeah, eight would probably be better,” Swofford said.
MEDIA VOTES ON PRESEASON HONORS
